SonicMario
Star Spirit
I'm still in the process of doing my Top 100 thing, but I will say you have 5 episodes in common with each of my Top and Bottom 10 lists in.
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Porygon-Z said:To be honest, i've been considering on watchig this show for a while now, one of my friends told me that this was a really good show but sometimes i reconsider. Should i watch this show?.
Thank you for the advice!, hopefully my On Demand will have it or there will be re-runs.Northern Verve said:@Discord: There are some things I heavily disagree with you about that you said in your writers post. But I've been busy with alot of things to really start discussing things.
Porygon-Z said:To be honest, i've been considering on watchig this show for a while now, one of my friends told me that this was a really good show but sometimes i reconsider. Should i watch this show?.
Go on ahead. You should probably start with Season 1 just to get the general idea. Though the best Seasons are 2 & 4. It's just best to start with 1 though to get the general idea of characters and there are some things that are helped with seeing the first season before anything.
If it's not to your liking after like the first 10 or so episodes. I understand, it's not for everyone. But as long as you give it a fair shot and if you don't like it don't go ranting on why it's so popular when you don't understand it.
Porygon-Z said:So i decided to watch Episode 1 and...
Just. GREAT. I've seen very few shows (Over He Garden Wall, Gravity Falls, and much more) with flourished animation, a great plot, and a time for humor and seriousness. The ending of episode 1 was suspenseful enough at the end for mr to watch Episode 2, and normally i do this with Rick & Morty. My favorite Piny out of the bunch is Pinkie Pie, she vaugley reminds me of Mabel from Gravity Falls and Louise from Bob's Burgers, plus she made me crack up in most parts of the episode. The intro music was beautiful to, i love it when the intro has beautiful music and kinda reflects on the show's theme like Over The Garden Wall. First, i wad addicted to Rick & Morty but MLP has already beat it 5 minutes into the show. While i'm typing this, i'm currently watching episode 2 at the moment and i really want to watch more but sometimes i have to wait.
Well, i've seen episode 2 and it was even better. Now i'm gonna watch the rest today.Northern Verve said:Porygon-Z said:So i decided to watch Episode 1 and...
Just. GREAT. I've seen very few shows (Over He Garden Wall, Gravity Falls, and much more) with flourished animation, a great plot, and a time for humor and seriousness. The ending of episode 1 was suspenseful enough at the end for mr to watch Episode 2, and normally i do this with Rick & Morty. My favorite Piny out of the bunch is Pinkie Pie, she vaugley reminds me of Mabel from Gravity Falls and Louise from Bob's Burgers, plus she made me crack up in most parts of the episode. The intro music was beautiful to, i love it when the intro has beautiful music and kinda reflects on the show's theme like Over The Garden Wall. First, i wad addicted to Rick & Morty but MLP has already beat it 5 minutes into the show. While i'm typing this, i'm currently watching episode 2 at the moment and i really want to watch more but sometimes i have to wait.
If you love it after the first episode. Oh ho ho, You haven't seen nothing yet. The pilot is just plain average compared to what comes later on.
It took me a lot of time, but I finally completed this!Kylo Ren said:I've decided to analyze each of the writers now that Season 5 is over. Here goes:
Charlotte Fullerton
My favorite episode written by this writer: Suited for Success
My least favorite episode written by this writer: If Putting Your Hoof Down doesn't count because it's a collaboration, then Look Before You Sleep
Thoughts: I really don't like Charlotte Fullerton. Almost all of her episodes were either contrived, (Look Before You Sleep) mean-spirited, (A Bird in the Hoof) or both (Putting Your Hoof Down). The only two episodes she wrote that I like are Suited for Success and Power Ponies, and I don't even think the latter was that good; I just like it as a guilty pleasure.
Amy Keating Rogers
My favorite episode written by this writer: Crusaders of the Lost Mark
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Filli Vanilli
Thoughts: If there's one thing I like about Rogers, it's that the quality of her writing each season was consistent, which is good but with an occasional dud. She didn't write outstandingly in one season and horribly in another. On the other hand, when her episodes were bad, they were horrible. I've noticed her musical episodes have been very well-received, and I agree with the praise they get. Overall, I really like her. She's probably my favorite writer besides M. A. Larson and Meghan McCarthy.
M. A. Larson
My favorite episode written by this writer: Slice of Life
My least favorite episode written by this writer: The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
Thoughts: Is there a single fan of the show who doesn't like this writer? I certainly like him, although I do think he's a bit overrated. The main reason I like him is that while he has written a few "meh" episodes (like Magical Mystery Cure and Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000), he hasn't written a single episode that I think is truly bad. The main positive about his episodes is that they were very entertaining and original, and tended to have great references, like Discord turning all the rain into chocolate in Return of Harmony.
Meghan McCarthy
My favorite episode written by this writer: If Twilight's Kingdom doesn't count because it's a two-parter, then Lesson Zero
My least favorite episode written by this writer: If Power Ponies doesn't count because it's a collaboration, then I guess Sweet and Elite
Thoughts: Definitely my favorite writer. She hasn't written a single episode I don't like. So where do I start? Well, first, she's contributed a lot to the canon with her two-parters, and other episodes like Call of the Cutie and Dragonshy. Next, she was almost always spot-on with the characterizations, particularly with Twilight and Spike. Finally, she wrote the Equestria Girls films, which I'm sure took up a lot of time. There's really nothing bad I can say about this writer. The way I see it, she's pretty much perfect.
Cindy Morrow
My favorite episode written by this writer: Sisterhooves Social
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Tanks for the Memories
Thoughts: To be honest... I don't really think Cindy Morrow is a very good writer. She isn't terrible, but her bad episodes overall outweigh her good ones. She did write quite well in Season 2, but other than that season, literally the only episode she wrote that I liked was Winter Wrap-Up. When her episodes were good, they were outstanding. But she too often tried to make "comedy" episodes like One Bad Apple and Owl's Well That Ends Well that fall on their face. Although she was at least trying in Season 5 with Tanks for the Memories, I actually think that's her worst episode because of how clumsily the five stages of grief were handled.
Dave Polsky
My favorite episode written by this writer: Too Many Pinkie Pies
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Keep Calm and Flutter On
Thoughts: First things first, this writer always got the comedy right in his episodes. However, other than that, the quality of his episodes were overall... mixed. I don't really dislike any of his episodes, except Keep Calm and Flutter On and maybe Feeling Pinkie Keen, but they were often quite flawed, although the reason varied. Luckily, in Season 4, he did improve, but I can't decide about Season 5 (I loved Brotherhooves Social, but I didn't like Appleoosa's Most Wanted). Overall, I like Polsky. He isn't a great writer, but I do enjoy most of his episodes.
Merriwether Williams
My favorite episode writtten by this writer: Bats!
My least favorite episode written by this writer: If Putting Your Hoof Down doesn't count because it's a collaboration, then The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well
Thoughts: Wow, this writer gets a lot of hate. However, to be fair, Williams had her moments. I really liked Wonderbolts Academy and Bats!, and I think Hearth's Warming Eve and Spike at Your Service were OK, although I can definitely see why people hate the latter. But my problem with her is that when her episodes were bad, they were really, REALLY bad (the three episodes I'm referring to are Dragon Quest, The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, and Putting Your Hoof Down). These three episodes almost never got their jokes right, and were extremely mean-spirited. Overall, though, although I don't LIKE Merriwether Williams as a writer, I don't hate her either, and she certainly isn't the worst writer of MLP.
Chris Savino
My favorite episode written by this writer: Stare Master
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Boast Busters
Thoughts: He only wrote in Season 1, but the two episodes he did write were not exactly masterpieces in my opinion, and from what I've seen, other people seem to dislike them as well. Stare Master was at least watchable, but it was by the numbers and completely flanderized the CMC. Boast Busters, on the other hand, drove me crazy. It's one of those early Season 1 episodes with a completely repetitive plot. The humor didn't make me laugh once, and everyone irritated me except Twilight. The thing in common that I disliked about his two episodes was that they were BORING.
Corey Powell
My favorite episode written by this writer: Sleepless in Ponyville
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Rainbow Falls
Thoughts: I honestly can't think of anything consistent about this writer's quality. She wrote Rainbow Dash outstandingly in Sleepless in Ponyville, and horribly in Rainbow Falls. She made Spike likable in Inspiration Manifestation, and made him act like a selfish jerk in Just for Sidekicks. There are many other examples of this, so needless to say, my opinion is pretty mixed. Overall, though, it's a bit more negative than positive, which mainly has to do with Rainbow Falls. I think we all know that episode was a train wreck, but what really made it stand out for me was that not only did this episode contribute to the Equestria Games arc, but it contributed to the six keys arc. I mean, at least episodes like Mare-Do-Well didn't force you to bring them up in later episodes.
Josh Haber
My favorite episode written by this writer: If Equestria Girls: Friendship Games doesn't count because it's a movie, then Bloom and Gloom
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Simple Ways
Thoughts: To be honest, I don't know why so many people dislike this writer. He's personally in my top 5. True, some of his episodes were a bit unoriginal, but even then, the writing was good for those episodes. Also, the episodes he wrote that WERE original were great. Bloom and Gloom did a good job of lampshading and solving the complaint people had with Cutie Marks, The Cutie Re-Mark had gorgeous animation and cool altered timelines, and Friendship Games is my favorite Equestria Girls film, due to its very interesting plot and its new characters. I think the best word to describe him is improving.
Ed Valentine
My favorite episode written by this writer: Flight to the Finish
My least favorite episode written by this writer: If Three's a Crowd doesn't count because it's a collaboration, then... well, Flight to the Finish. (He only wrote two episodes)
Thoughts: I like this writer. Neither of his episodes were particularly interesting, but Three's a Crowd made up for it by it being decent whenever Discord was around and Flight to the Finish more than made up for it with an unusually mature plot.
Natasha Levinger
My favorite episode written by this writer: Make New Friends but Keep Discord
My least favorite episode written by this writer: It Ain't Easy Being Breezies
Thoughts: I think this writer is very good, if her episodes' entertainment value varies (I can't believe the two episodes I stated above were from the same writer). However, I don't think any of her episodes were bad, and I mean not even It Ain't Easy Being Breezies. This is mainly due to their morals being good. Something else I've noticed is how well-written the characters were in her episodes, especially Fluttershy. Levinger's probably in my top 5, although her episodes aren't as ambitious as some other writers.
Scott Sonneborn
My favorite episode written by this writer: If the Cutie Map doesn't count because it's a collaboration, then Trade Ya!
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Somepony to Watch Over Me
Thoughts: To be honest, I REALLY do not like this writer. This is mainly due to his problems with character derailment. The one exception to this was The Cutie Map, but that episode was also written by M. A. Larson and Meghan McCarthy, who I think are much better writers. The one positive to most of his episodes is that they did usually have a few chuckle-worthy moments, but those moments weren't enough to make up for the extreme character derailment in those episodes. He also wrote Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, which is the episode that I have the strongest mixed opinion on in the whole series. On one hand, it was consistently clever and funny throughout and was visually stunning, but Luna's self-punishment was horribly and inaccurately solved (most people who do self-harm are too unhealthy to just be talked to to get rid of all their guilt).
Noelle Benvenuti
My favorite episode written by this writer: Maud Pie
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Made in Manehattan
Thoughts: OK, first things first. I LOVED Maud Pie. I mean, who didn't? It was funny, it had a great if a bit cliched moral, and it introduced a great new character who's loved by both the fans and the writers (I say the latter because of how many times she's appeared in later episodes). I think the reason that episode was so good was why Made in Manehattan disappointed me so much. I mean, when I found out Benvenuti was writing it, I was excited because I thought she would be able to write as well as she did in her last episode. Overall, the episode wasn't exactly bad, but it was much less entertaining and harder to care about than Maud Pie, and Coco Pommel felt like she was just there for fanservice. Overall, however, from what I've seen, I think she's pretty good.
Nick Confalone
My favorite episode written by this writer: Hearthbreakers
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Party Pooped
Thoughts: I think this writer has been decent so far. Neither of his episodes were particularly interesting, but both of them had the Mane Six (especially Pinkie) well-written in them. I liked Hearthbreakers more than Party Pooped, because while the Yaks in Party Pooped were just irritating perfectionists, the Pie family were all interesting characters that I actually had wanted to know about in previous episodes. Just a minor problem I have, but the animation was a bit dull in both of his episodes, although that certainly wasn't Confalone's fault for obvious reasons.
Gillian M. Berrow
(This writer only wrote episode, so I can't pick out a favorite and least favorite episode)
Thoughts: The only episode he wrote was The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows, so I'll guess I'll just talk about that episode. It was repetitive, contrived, and overly comedic, and... I still liked it. Despite its flaws, I liked the idea of Cadence and Shining Armor having a baby, I thought the animation was fun to watch, and I thought it was funny. The episode was overall a guilty pleasure for me.
(I'm merging these next two writers together as one entry since they wrote all of their episodes together)
Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
My favorite episode written by these writers: If Rarity Investigates! doesn't because it's a collaboration, then Castle Sweet Castle
My least favorite episode written by these writers: The Hooffields and McColts
Thoughts: My opinion on these two writers is that they're overall OK. My main problems with their episodes were that they tended to have lackluster plots and morals (Castle Sweet Castle and The Hooffields and McColts). Rarity Investigates! had a better story, but M. A. Larson and Meghan McCarthy also wrote that episode, so I can't help but feel that they were probably the reason for that. The characters in their episodes were usually likable and characterized well, however.
Neal Dusedau
My favorite episode written by this writer: Princess Spike
My least favorite episode written by this writer: What About Discord?
Thoughts: Last and honestly probably least on my writer analysis is Neal Dusedau. I didn't like either of his episodes, and actually, it's for the same reasons. They were both unpleasant to watch, had rehashed plots, and had conflicts that only happened because characters were acting uncharacteristically stupid or unlikable. I think What About Discord was a bit worse because while Princess Spike at least had a few chuckleworthy moments, What About Discord's humor was based on nothing but either blatant pop culture references or intentionally bad jokes.
Here's how I've decided to rank the writers:
18. Neal Dusedau
17. Charlotte Fullerton
16. Scott Sonneborn
15. Chris Savino
14. Merriweather Williams
13. Corey Powell
12. Cindy Morrow
11. Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
10. Gillian M. Berrow
9. Dave Polsky
8. Nick Confalone
7. Ed Valentine
6. Noelle Benvenuti
5. Natasha Levinger
4. Josh Haber
3. Amy Keating Rogers
2. M. A. Larson
1. Meghan McCarthy
Now that I've finished my writer analysis, what parts of it do you agree and disagree with?Northern Verve said:@Discord: There are some things I heavily disagree with you about that you said in your writers post. But I've been busy with alot of things to really start discussing things.
ernesth100 said:Has Season 6 been confirmed?
Well, there were 11 months between the end of Season 4 and the beginning of Season 5, so if that keeps up, Season 6 will be next October.Northern Verve said:ernesth100 said:Has Season 6 been confirmed?
Yes. We don't know when it will start. But late next year is probably likely
Magikrazy said:The more I think about the show's fanbase, the stranger it seems.
What made this as opposed to Strawberry Shortcake or Pound Puppies break out?
I mean yeah, it's an improvement over their previous incarnation, but that doesn't really hold any water. That one was godawful.
I agree, I really liked that episode. I do think it's slightly overrated, however.Hattie Hattington said:I watched Make New Friends But Keep Discord (I forced myself to wake up because of it, since Discord is my favorite character). It was hard to hear it and watch it since my little brothers were sleeping and i had to keep my finger on the tv remote since i didn't want my parents to walk in on me watching MLP.
Although i didn't hear much, the episode was good overall. I especially loved that part where Discord was gonna transport that pony (I didn't hear her name) to another dimension (I laughed hard at that part, i would not wanna live in a Educational Show).
Kylo Ren said:You know, I've noticed that Season 5 hasn't been been received as well as most of the other seasons. From what I know, it's at least considered to be better than Season 3, but that's about it. But I think this season's reception will get better after Season 6, and I'll explain why.
You see, quite a few of the people who didn't like Season 5 disliked it due to Starlight Glimmer and Diamond Tiara both being easily forgiven for their actions, and whenever I hear those complaints, I think about how people had the same problem with Sunset Shimmer being forgiven in Equestria Girls. However, after Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games, Sunset Shimmer got a lot of character development, causing fans to like her more. So what I'm thinking is that we shouldn't judge the reformations in this season quite yet. This is because I think Glimmer and Tiara will get good character development in Season 6, like in the second and third EQ movies.
Kylo Ren said:I've decided to analyze each of the writers now that Season 5 is over. Here goes:
Charlotte Fullerton
My favorite episode written by this writer: Suited for Success
My least favorite episode written by this writer: If Putting Your Hoof Down doesn't count because it's a collaboration, then Look Before You Sleep
Thoughts: I really don't like Charlotte Fullerton. Almost all of her episodes were either contrived, (Look Before You Sleep) mean-spirited, (A Bird in the Hoof) or both (Putting Your Hoof Down). The only two episodes she wrote that I like are Suited for Success and Power Ponies, and I don't even think the latter was that good; I just like it as a guilty pleasure.
Amy Keating Rogers
My favorite episode written by this writer: Crusaders of the Lost Mark
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Filli Vanilli
Thoughts: If there's one thing I like about Rogers, it's that the quality of her writing each season was consistent, which is good but with an occasional dud. She didn't write outstandingly in one season and horribly in another. On the other hand, when her episodes were bad, they were horrible. I've noticed her musical episodes have been very well-received, and I agree with the praise they get. Overall, I really like her. She's probably my favorite writer besides M. A. Larson and Meghan McCarthy.
M. A. Larson
My favorite episode written by this writer: Slice of Life
My least favorite episode written by this writer: The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
Thoughts: Is there a single fan of the show who doesn't like this writer? I certainly like him, although I do think he's a bit overrated. The main reason I like him is that while he has written a few "meh" episodes (like Magical Mystery Cure and Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000), he hasn't written a single episode that I think is truly bad. The main positive about his episodes is that they were very entertaining and original, and tended to have great references, like Discord turning all the rain into chocolate in Return of Harmony.
Meghan McCarthy
My favorite episode written by this writer: If Twilight's Kingdom doesn't count because it's a two-parter, then Lesson Zero
My least favorite episode written by this writer: If Power Ponies doesn't count because it's a collaboration, then I guess Sweet and Elite
Thoughts: Definitely my favorite writer. She hasn't written a single episode I don't like. So where do I start? Well, first, she's contributed a lot to the canon with her two-parters, and other episodes like Call of the Cutie and Dragonshy. Next, she was almost always spot-on with the characterizations, particularly with Twilight and Spike. Finally, she wrote the Equestria Girls films, which I'm sure took up a lot of time. There's really nothing bad I can say about this writer. The way I see it, she's pretty much perfect.
Cindy Morrow
My favorite episode written by this writer: Sisterhooves Social
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Tanks for the Memories
Thoughts: To be honest... I don't really think Cindy Morrow is a very good writer. She isn't terrible, but her bad episodes overall outweigh her good ones. She did write quite well in Season 2, but other than that season, literally the only episode she wrote that I liked was Winter Wrap-Up. When her episodes were good, they were outstanding. But she too often tried to make "comedy" episodes like One Bad Apple and Owl's Well That Ends Well that fall on their face. Although she was at least trying in Season 5 with Tanks for the Memories, I actually think that's her worst episode because of how clumsily the five stages of grief were handled.
Dave Polsky
My favorite episode written by this writer: Too Many Pinkie Pies
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Keep Calm and Flutter On
Thoughts: First things first, this writer always got the comedy right in his episodes. However, other than that, the quality of his episodes were overall... mixed. I don't really dislike any of his episodes, except Keep Calm and Flutter On and maybe Feeling Pinkie Keen, but they were often quite flawed, although the reason varied. Luckily, in Season 4, he did improve, but I can't decide about Season 5 (I loved Brotherhooves Social, but I didn't like Appleoosa's Most Wanted). Overall, I like Polsky. He isn't a great writer, but I do enjoy most of his episodes.
Merriwether Williams
My favorite episode writtten by this writer: Bats!
My least favorite episode written by this writer: If Putting Your Hoof Down doesn't count because it's a collaboration, then The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well
Thoughts: Wow, this writer gets a lot of hate. However, to be fair, Williams had her moments. I really liked Wonderbolts Academy and Bats!, and I think Hearth's Warming Eve and Spike at Your Service were OK, although I can definitely see why people hate the latter. But my problem with her is that when her episodes were bad, they were really, REALLY bad (the three episodes I'm referring to are Dragon Quest, The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, and Putting Your Hoof Down). These three episodes almost never got their jokes right, and were extremely mean-spirited. Overall, though, although I don't LIKE Merriwether Williams as a writer, I don't hate her either, and she certainly isn't the worst writer of MLP.
Chris Savino
My favorite episode written by this writer: Stare Master
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Boast Busters
Thoughts: He only wrote in Season 1, but the two episodes he did write were not exactly masterpieces in my opinion, and from what I've seen, other people seem to dislike them as well. Stare Master was at least watchable, but it was by the numbers and completely flanderized the CMC. Boast Busters, on the other hand, drove me crazy. It's one of those early Season 1 episodes with a completely repetitive plot. The humor didn't make me laugh once, and everyone irritated me except Twilight. The thing in common that I disliked about his two episodes was that they were BORING.
Corey Powell
My favorite episode written by this writer: Sleepless in Ponyville
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Rainbow Falls
Thoughts: I honestly can't think of anything consistent about this writer's quality. She wrote Rainbow Dash outstandingly in Sleepless in Ponyville, and horribly in Rainbow Falls. She made Spike likable in Inspiration Manifestation, and made him act like a selfish jerk in Just for Sidekicks. There are many other examples of this, so needless to say, my opinion is pretty mixed. Overall, though, it's a bit more negative than positive, which mainly has to do with Rainbow Falls. I think we all know that episode was a train wreck, but what really made it stand out for me was that not only did this episode contribute to the Equestria Games arc, but it contributed to the six keys arc. I mean, at least episodes like Mare-Do-Well didn't force you to bring them up in later episodes.
Josh Haber
My favorite episode written by this writer: If Equestria Girls: Friendship Games doesn't count because it's a movie, then Bloom and Gloom
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Simple Ways
Thoughts: To be honest, I don't know why so many people dislike this writer. He's personally in my top 5. True, some of his episodes were a bit unoriginal, but even then, the writing was good for those episodes. Also, the episodes he wrote that WERE original were great. Bloom and Gloom did a good job of lampshading and solving the complaint people had with Cutie Marks, The Cutie Re-Mark had gorgeous animation and cool altered timelines, and Friendship Games is my favorite Equestria Girls film, due to its very interesting plot and its new characters. I think the best word to describe him is improving.
Ed Valentine
My favorite episode written by this writer: Flight to the Finish
My least favorite episode written by this writer: If Three's a Crowd doesn't count because it's a collaboration, then... well, Flight to the Finish. (He only wrote two episodes)
Thoughts: I like this writer. Neither of his episodes were particularly interesting, but Three's a Crowd made up for it by it being decent whenever Discord was around and Flight to the Finish more than made up for it with an unusually mature plot.
Natasha Levinger
My favorite episode written by this writer: Make New Friends but Keep Discord
My least favorite episode written by this writer: It Ain't Easy Being Breezies
Thoughts: I think this writer is very good, if her episodes' entertainment value varies (I can't believe the two episodes I stated above were from the same writer). However, I don't think any of her episodes were bad, and I mean not even It Ain't Easy Being Breezies. This is mainly due to their morals being good. Something else I've noticed is how well-written the characters were in her episodes, especially Fluttershy. Levinger's probably in my top 5, although her episodes aren't as ambitious as some other writers.
Scott Sonneborn
My favorite episode written by this writer: If the Cutie Map doesn't count because it's a collaboration, then Trade Ya!
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Somepony to Watch Over Me
Thoughts: To be honest, I REALLY do not like this writer. This is mainly due to his problems with character derailment. The one exception to this was The Cutie Map, but that episode was also written by M. A. Larson and Meghan McCarthy, who I think are much better writers. The one positive to most of his episodes is that they did usually have a few chuckle-worthy moments, but those moments weren't enough to make up for the extreme character derailment in those episodes. He also wrote Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, which is the episode that I have the strongest mixed opinion on in the whole series. On one hand, it was consistently clever and funny throughout and was visually stunning, but Luna's self-punishment was horribly and inaccurately solved (most people who do self-harm are too unhealthy to just be talked to to get rid of all their guilt).
Noelle Benvenuti
My favorite episode written by this writer: Maud Pie
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Made in Manehattan
Thoughts: OK, first things first. I LOVED Maud Pie. I mean, who didn't? It was funny, it had a great if a bit cliched moral, and it introduced a great new character who's loved by both the fans and the writers (I say the latter because of how many times she's appeared in later episodes). I think the reason that episode was so good was why Made in Manehattan disappointed me so much. I mean, when I found out Benvenuti was writing it, I was excited because I thought she would be able to write as well as she did in her last episode. Overall, the episode wasn't exactly bad, but it was much less entertaining and harder to care about than Maud Pie, and Coco Pommel felt like she was just there for fanservice. Overall, however, from what I've seen, I think she's pretty good.
Nick Confalone
My favorite episode written by this writer: Hearthbreakers
My least favorite episode written by this writer: Party Pooped
Thoughts: I think this writer has been decent so far. Neither of his episodes were particularly interesting, but both of them had the Mane Six (especially Pinkie) well-written in them. I liked Hearthbreakers more than Party Pooped, because while the Yaks in Party Pooped were just irritating perfectionists, the Pie family were all interesting characters that I actually had wanted to know about in previous episodes. Just a minor problem I have, but the animation was a bit dull in both of his episodes, although that certainly wasn't Confalone's fault for obvious reasons.
Gillian M. Berrow
(This writer only wrote episode, so I can't pick out a favorite and least favorite episode)
Thoughts: The only episode he wrote was The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows, so I'll guess I'll just talk about that episode. It was repetitive, contrived, and overly comedic, and... I still liked it. Despite its flaws, I liked the idea of Cadence and Shining Armor having a baby, I thought the animation was fun to watch, and I thought it was funny. The episode was overall a guilty pleasure for me.
(I'm merging these next two writers together as one entry since they wrote all of their episodes together)
Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
My favorite episode written by these writers: If Rarity Investigates! doesn't because it's a collaboration, then Castle Sweet Castle
My least favorite episode written by these writers: The Hooffields and McColts
Thoughts: My opinion on these two writers is that they're overall OK. My main problems with their episodes were that they tended to have lackluster plots and morals (Castle Sweet Castle and The Hooffields and McColts). Rarity Investigates! had a better story, but M. A. Larson and Meghan McCarthy also wrote that episode, so I can't help but feel that they were probably the reason for that. The characters in their episodes were usually likable and characterized well, however.
Neal Dusedau
My favorite episode written by this writer: Princess Spike
My least favorite episode written by this writer: What About Discord?
Thoughts: Last and honestly probably least on my writer analysis is Neal Dusedau. I didn't like either of his episodes, and actually, it's for the same reasons. They were both unpleasant to watch, had rehashed plots, and had conflicts that only happened because characters were acting uncharacteristically stupid or unlikable. I think What About Discord was a bit worse because while Princess Spike at least had a few chuckleworthy moments, What About Discord's humor was based on nothing but either blatant pop culture references or intentionally bad jokes.
Here's how I've decided to rank the writers:
18. Neal Dusedau
17. Charlotte Fullerton
16. Scott Sonneborn
15. Chris Savino
14. Merriweather Williams
13. Corey Powell
12. Cindy Morrow
11. Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
10. Gillian M. Berrow
9. Dave Polsky
8. Nick Confalone
7. Ed Valentine
6. Noelle Benvenuti
5. Natasha Levinger
4. Josh Haber
3. Amy Keating Rogers
2. M. A. Larson
1. Meghan McCarthy